Hi there I'm putting in a shift kit in my tranny next month, and was wondering if this will interfere with my plans for a chip down the road. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Just install the kit on its lowest level, or get your chip custom burned to not increase the line pressure. Unless you want really firm shifts all the time.

 

Thanks beastie that makes sense.....will I have to pay a lot more for a "custom"chip?

 

It is usually a set fee of + or - $100, just depends on who does the tuning

 

Hi Mandrake,

What we suggest is to use the Transgo shift kit, as it has a provision for increasing fluid volume flow to the Overdrive band as needed (especially in the 4R70W), and has an overpressure relief provision as well.

When installed on Level 1, which is usually called "Police/Taxi" in the Transgo shift kits for the 4R70W, that works very well with the Superchip to give nice crisp, tight & quick shifts while still being tolerable on light throttle, and thus requires no custom programming to compensate. I have personally run that exact combination in a number of vehicles and been very happy with it, getting a nice tire-chirper on the WOT 1-2 yet the light throttle shifts aren't neck-snappers. The best way to take care of the automatic transmission issues are to take care of both the hardware and the software issues for a thorough total solution.

The issue is that you do not want to take the shift kit to higher levels unless you are willing to have custom transmission programming work done, as what happens when you have a shift kit installed at higher levels and used in conjunction with a performance chip is that you get light-throttle shifts that are just too harsh, and that must be corrected at a minimum, in addition to other potential issues.

You might want to give us a call when you get a chance, as we'll be happy to go over this in detail with you so you can give it some thought from a fully informed position before actually doing anything. We also carry all those kinds of parts as well.

Good luck!

 

Thanks mike....sounds like pretty good advice. I was wondering could you tell me if you can go to a bigger throttle body ie:Granatelli with a chip.....I've heard this can cause all sorts of probs. just curious THANX

 

Hi Mandrake,

I'm glad you asked, as while you *can* change the TB (throttle body) to the BBK 75 mm unit without worrying about having the chip reprogrammed, if you change the MAF (mass airflow meter), that's a completely different ballgame, and *does* require custom tuning to correct the lean condition that will result, and a bit of work on load tables, etc.

The Granatelli line (which we also carry) of MAF's is actually made by Pro-Flo, the manufacturers of the Pro-M brand of MAF's. Any aftermarket MAF will lean out the A/F very significantly in these vehicles, and that must be compensated for. This also happens, for example, when using Ford's own 90mm MAF that is OE on the 2001 & up supercharged 5.4's on the "regular" F-150's. Virtually any MAF change on these vehicles will require recalibration, in other words.

So it's important to identify if we're talking about a throttle body, or a mass airflow meter, and since you've seen previous warnings on this and mentioning the Granatelli brand name, I think it's actually the MAF you're referring to here. If so, then yes, it will need to be compensated for in the chip.

 

Thanx again mike.... my bad. you are exactly correct, its the MAF I was referring to. I tell you what you sound like you know quite a bit about these ford motors. Maybe you could tell me if I'm on the right track. I was under the impression that if I were to add Headers to my Cat back....a true FIPK and not just the filtercharger, A chip, an upgraded MAF and larger throttle body I would be in the area of about 260-270 hp at the flywheel of my 4.6L 97. I would loe to tickle the 300hp mark, but I really don't want to go supercharged. Am I on the right track to hit 260-270? Any suggestions? I'd appreciate any input...thanks. I guess I should tell you that there's a lot of dreaming going on, but I'm hoping to just add a piece at a time....THANX Phil

 

Hi Phil,

Actually, it's pretty easy to take these 4.6's to well over 300 horsepower without supercharging, and that can be done "piece by piece" too, though at certain points you will have to do certain things together.

I would leave replacing the TB & MAF amnd installing headers to significantly later on, simply because there are other mods to do first that will give you a better bang for the buck. Then later on, if you still want even more power, you can always add those parts, too. Of course this is up to you, we reccomend what we do because we are focused on the exact order of best bang-for-the-buck so you don't have to worry about those details, that's our job to do for you.

The best thing to do is to give us a call so we can go over this with you in proper detail, as it's too much to type it all out properly here.

The bottom line is, it's very easy to get your 4.6 up to the 260-270 horsepower level and even beyond, without spending a lot of money.

If you already have a cat-back exhaust system you like, then what I would specifically recommend doing right now is our Superchip & AF1 combo deal, which gets you the Superchips tuning and the Air Force One intake for a great combo price, and those are the Top 2 best bang-for-the-buck modifications for these F-150's (and many other vehicles as well). At that point, you will have the tuning, intake & exhaust optimized, and haven't spent a lot of money, yet your performance is significantly improved.

You might be surprised at just how little it costs to accomplish what you want to do, it may not be quite as much of a dream as you may be thinking at this point. Give us a call when you get a chance & we can go over all the numbers, etc. with you.

 

Where can I order a transgo shift kit? I've been searching, but haven't been able to turn anything up. Mike, do you guys sell them?

-Flea

 

Thanks for all your help Mike. You have no idea how big the smile you've put on my face is. I thought for sure I'd need supercharging to get over 300 HP. You'll be hearing from me on my week off.....next week. Thanks again...Phil

 

Hi FLea,

Yes, we sure do! We carry darn near anything related to improving the performance of these vehicles, either engine, transmission, and even suspension-wise, so you can always call us for just about anything you're looking for.

We carry the Transgo shift kits in stock all the time for either the 4R70W or the 4R100(E4OD) automatic transmissions, just give us a shout.

 

Hi Phil,

I'm glad we were able to cheer you up a bit, & we'll talk to you soon!